Energy company threatened to cut power to pensioner’s retirement flats

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AN ENERGY giant threatened to cut off electricity to pensioners living in retirement flats in Ainsdale over a £23,000 bill dispute.

EDF Energy warned the elderly owners of 73 properties in Millhouse Lodge, off Liverpool Road, that their power supply would be stopped unless the sum was paid.

Exclusive Property Management (EPM), which manages the site on behalf of the retired residents, was told in December 2007 it had been mistakenly undercharged since September 2004 and was issued a backdated £23,346.62 bill.

Until last minute intervention from Southport MP John Pugh this week, EDF had threatened to cut the power supply, rejecting the company’s requests to discuss how the revised bill had been calculated.

Director of EPM, David Christensen, said: “We have had electricity demands for the communal areas which frankly we do not understand. We cannot work out the basis of their calculations.

“This has been running on for 18 months and came to a head when we had the most recent bill, a shade over £23,000. That was accompanied by a threat from EDF to cut off the electricity supply.

“Thankfully, the threat has now been withdrawn and what we are trying to do is set up a meeting to see how they calculated their demands and whether we accept those demands.”

Owners of the sheltered accommodation pay their individual utility bills, with EPM covering the cost of the communal electricity bills, such as corridor lighting which is on 24 hours a day.

William Ireland, chairman of the Residents’ Association at Mill House Lodge said: “Fifty per cent of the people here are in their late 70s or 80s and some are a bit older than that. They have never had this sort of problem before.

“We want to sort out the arrears but it is important to know whether we have been accurately charged.”

MP John Pugh had written to EDF Energy demanding it abandoned plans to disconnect the supply and this week the company issued an apology to the residents of Millhouse Lodge.

A spokesman said: “Disconnecting supply is always our last resort. We have always taken our responsibility to vulnerable customers very seriously and all processes for disconnection have been cancelled.

“We have spoken to Exclusive Property Management and we are currently making every effort with the company to find a solution.”

Dr Pugh added: “This is a dispute between EDF and Exclusive Property Management – not the residents who live in Millhouse Lodge. It would be terrible and wrong if pensioners living in Ainsdale had their power cut off.”